Jets linebacker Bart Scott is the Week 11 knucklehead of the week for his postgame rant. / Ed Mulholland, US Presswire

by Jim Corbett, USA TODAY Sports

by Jim Corbett, USA TODAY Sports

Even when the New York Jets win - as they did in their surprising 27-13 defeat of the St. Louis Rams on Sunday - they find a new way to lose.

Linebacker Bart Scott continued his team's circus sideshow when he barked at defensive teammates to boycott media members, casting blanket blame for last week's (New York) Daily News story that quoted anonymous players and team officials who ripped backup quarterback Tim Tebow.

It's one thing for Scott to decline to speak if he's upset with a messenger. But to berate defensive teammates and urge them to say only that "both teams played hard'' was silly. Scott yelled at fellow linebacker Bryan Thomas for breaking the boycott, calling him "a (bleeping) sellout." This, just a few days after coach Rex Ryan insisted his locker room was unified.

As Scott continued to rant, safety Yeremiah Bell scolded him like a child: "Stop it," Bell said. "Just stop it."

It's just another example of Ryan's undisciplined locker room. Players can't decide whether they want to throw each other under the bus anonymously or rip each other for talking to reporters openly. The Jets have been bickering since their brawling in training camp forced Ryan to make them run wind sprints as discipline, and the sniping and whining has continued months into a chaotic season.

Even stranger: Eventually, Scott caved and answered questions from the media.

Scott, you'll remember, tried to organize a media boycott earlier in the season, mistakenly calling it a "mutiny."

"I've got a media mutiny," he said when approached by USA TODAY Sports after a victory over the Buffalo Bills. Scott was asked if he meant a boycott.

"Yeah, a boycott."

He went on: "You guys treat us like we're a (bleeping) joke. You all want us to feed your papers, but then you all talk (bleep) about us. So why would I want to give you all quotes to sell papers with if you all treat us like (bleep)? That doesn't make sense."

Talk. Don't talk. Make up your mind. Scott doesn't make sense.

Game balls

Matt Schaub: One of the remaining questions about Schaub was whether he could bring the Houston Texans back to win a game when they were trailing late. Well, the Texans (9-1) were two touchdowns behind when Schaub rallied them to a 43-37 overtime win. In all, he threw for 527 yards, tied for second most in NFL history, and five touchdowns against the pesky Jacksonville Jaguars.

"I knew that if we ever got in a situation where we had to throw it 50-plus times, our quarterback is capable of doing it," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. "We don't want to do it. It's not how we want to play, but we got caught in one of those games. But that's his job, and that's why he's here. And that's why Matt is a great player. He can find ways to do that."

Greg Schiano: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie coach has led his team to five wins in the last six games, with quarterback Josh Freeman playing at a Pro Bowl level, throwing for 16 touchdowns and three interceptions during that span. The Bucs, who beat the Carolina Panthers 27-21 in overtime Sunday, are 6-4 and currently one game out of the NFC playoff picture. The Bucs won the overtime coin toss Sunday and moved quickly down the field, with Freeman finding Dallas Clark along the left sideline for the winning score. "You've got to love it when the linebacker swears as you're heading upfield," Clark said.

M.D. Jennings: The Green Bay Packers safety raced 72 yards with an interception-return touchdown that proved pivotal in a 24-20 win over the Detroit Lions. The Packers (7-3) moved within a half-game of the first-place Chicago Bears in the NFC North after losing three of their first five games. The Bears play at San Francisco on Monday night.

Tom Brady: Just when a lot of folks were starting to anoint Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Andrew Luck as the generation-next Peyton Manning in the Colts-New England Patriots rivalry, Brady showed the kid who's boss with a three-touchdown performance in a 59-24 thumping. The Pats tied their franchise record for points scored in the win, although it was tempered by the loss of tight end Rob Gronkowski, who broke his left forearm and will be lost for four to six weeks.

Offensive player of the week: Robert Griffin III

The Washington Redskins rookie quarterback showed his gratitude for older teammates naming him team captain by throwing for four touchdowns and completing all but one of his 15 pass attempts in a 31-6 smashing of the free-falling Philadelphia Eagles. Griffin completed 14 of 15 passes for 200 yards, including touchdown passes of 6, 49, 61 and 17 yards - one in each quarter. He also rushed for 84 yards amid chants of "RGIII! RGIII!"

"I'm tired of talking about Robert," said Santana Moss, who caught one pass, which went for a 61-yard TD in the third quarter. "Nothing's going to change. Robert's going to go out there and be special. That's the gift that he has, he's a special guy. He brings that kind of specialness. I don't know if that's a word, but he brings it to our offense."

Defensive player of the week: Von Miller

The Denver Broncos' second-year linebacker was an unstoppable force with three sacks and two forced fumbles in a 30-23 win against the San Diego Chargers.

Miller celebrated his first sack with a pair of somersaults, then got up and did jumping jacks with his arms bent at the elbow while he moved to the imaginary music. He said he was inspired by Sonic the Hedgehog, a video game character.

"You've got to show some excitement when you make a play," Miller said.

It was his second three-sack game in the last three weeks to bring his season total to 13, a sack and a half ahead of Houston's J.J. Watt for the NFL lead.

"He's just getting started," Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil said. "That was a crazy day for him."

Special teams player of the week: Dan Bailey

The Dallas Cowboys kicker bailed out his team in a 23-20 win against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. His 32-yard field goal forced overtime and his 38-yarder won it for the Cowboys (5-5).

Unsung hero: Chad Henne

The forgotten backup quarterback of the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars (1-9) had a career day. He threw for 354 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, but an incompletion on fourth-and-10 in overtime gave the Houston Texans the ball. Then Andre Johnson caught a 48-yard pass to give the Texans (9-1) a 43-37 win.

"We need to score touchdowns," Henne said. "When we start doing that as an offense - ending games - that's when you know we are getting better and proving we belong on the field."

Henne took over for Blaine Gabbert, who bruised his right elbow on a hit on Jacksonville's first series. Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey didn't have any details of Gabbert's injury after the game, and he wouldn't say who will start next week.

Major disappointment: Dallas Cowboys

America's Team didn't look like a playoff team in allowing the Browns to take them to overtime before Dallas prevailed 23-20. Now they the Cowboys have RGIII and the confident Redskins coming into Jerry's World for a Thanksgiving battle with second place in the NFC East at stake.

"Had it all the way," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said, smiling, as he walked into the postgame locker room.

Major funk: Philip Rivers

The San Diego Chargers quarterback keeps trying to throw his way out of his slump, only to sink deeper. Rivers threw two more interceptions in a loss to the Denver Broncos and has 14 this season. A once-elite quarterback who played so courageously on a torn knee ligament in the 2007 AFC Championship Game has 34 interceptions the last two seasons - along with nine lost fumbles.

They need to step up this week

Eli Manning hasn't thrown a touchdown pass in 12 quarters. No better time to get back his groove than when the New York Giants return from their bye to face the Green Bay Packers (7-3) next Sunday night.

Matt Ryan and his Falcons teammates were inexplicably flat coming off a Week 10 loss at the New Orleans Saints. They overcame Ryan's five interceptions to beat the Arizona Cardinals, but Ryan can't afford to be so generous with the football against the Bucs (6-4) next Sunday.

Mark Sanchez and the Jets pushed the Patriots to overtime before falling 29-26 in Week 7. It's now or never for Sanchez to prove his critics wrong in a Thanksgiving night showdown against Brady if the Jets are to avoid playing out the string.